Guangzhou Zoo II by Kurt Tong

Kurt Tong

Website:www.kurttong.co.uk

Artist Statement:
People's Park
Looking through my family photographs, apart from the customary family portraits in front of the same Christmas trees and behind birthday cakes, most of the photos taken of my brother, sisters and I were during our daytrips out at various parks.

I have just a few memories of these pictures being taken. However, I still have such vivid memories of all the parks we used to go to. The penguin bins, the bumper cars, the trains and the ice cream stalls are all so clear in my mind, little snippets of memories that make up my childhood. Inspired by these family snapshots, these images are taken from a project that explores recreational spaces found in China.

In 1958, at the beginning of The Great Leap Forward, when private ownership was banned, many existing parks were renovated and new parks were built all across China for the people, many were renamed People's Parks. Over the years, they became main focal points of the cities, where families have their outings and couples meet. China is changing at a staggering pace, the economic miracle means that the Chinese are enjoying a much more affluent lifestyle. Shopping and Internet have replaced bumper cars and Ferris wheels. Many of these parks have fallen to disarray. Millions of older Chinese would have grown up with these parks and have memories of time spent in them. Just like the parks, their memories are slowly fading away with time.

Bio:
I was born in Hong Kong in 1977 and have lived in the UK since 1990. I was originally trained as a health visitor at the University of Liverpool and have worked and traveled extensively across Europe, America and Asia. In 1999, I co-founded Prema Vasam, a charitable home for disabled and disadvantaged children in Chennai, South India.